In my field, certifications tend to hold more weight, when taken in addition to a requisite academic degree. For instance someone with a doctorate in environmental chemistry might be well served with an additional certificate or professional credential in a related field that is not directly in the same academic discipline (i.e. environmental compliance auditing or pollution prevention engineering ). As a stand-alone credential, I think that they have far less weight.

Cheers,
Tony Maranto

Engineering Degrees

Engineering Degrees

Engineers apply the principles of science and mathematics to develop economical solutions to technical problems. Their work is the link between scientific discoveries and the commercial applications that meet societal and consumer needs.
Many engineers develop new products. During the process, they consider several factors. For example, in developing an industrial robot, engineers specify the functional requirements precisely; design and test the robot's components; integrate the components to produce the final design; and evaluate the design's overall effectiveness, cost, reliability, and safety.
In addition to their involvement in design and development, many engineers work in testing, production, or maintenance. These engineers supervise production in factories, determine the causes of a componentís failure, and test manufactured products to maintain quality. They also estimate the time and cost required to complete projects.

ēStarting salaries are among the highest of all college graduates.
ēEmployment is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations, although growth will vary by specialty; overall job opportunities for engineers are expected to be good.
ēA bachelor's degree in engineering is required for most entry-level jobs, but some positions may require a graduate degree.

New England College of Business offers online Associateís Degrees in Business Administration, Bachelorís Degrees in Business Administration, and Masterís Degrees in Business Ethics & Compliance, and Finance.

The school is regionally accredited, the most widely recognized accreditation.

NSSB

The National Skills and Standards Board (NSSB) made significant progress in establishing a certifications recognition program.

The NSSB was a U.S. Department of Education subsidiary that was backed by Legislative Charter of congress. The sunset clause pulls the Charter and now it has lost its luster as the mark of U.S. government authority.

I believe this is a significant loss to the certification recognition process and undermines the acknowledgement of certifications in industry.

GW University is a prestigious and well regarded school. Established in the heart of the nation's capital in 1821, GW provides innovative programs in more than 200 fields of study, including graduate certificate, master's and doctoral programs. Under the guidance of a world-renowned faculty, you will explore both theory and practice in courses that prepare you to meet the needs of an increasingly complex society.

Re: Certifications, are they worth anything?

Originally posted by Laser100 When you go to get a job does your certification mean anything to the employer or is a degree the only thing worth getting?

Yes, in the country where I'm working, certification is an added, if not the sole, factor in the hiring process. Specially, if that certification is on a subject related to the job. Your degree might become a secondary factor.

My case, I have to earn certifications to document my IT skills since my first degree is non-IT, and I work in IT field.

1) License issued by a state board
2) Professional designation conferred by an institute or professional society
3) A vendor certification (common in the IT world)

Their relative prestige falls in that very same order as well.

Note that a university "certificate" or "advanced certificate" (I have one of these too) have nothing whatever to do with certification; rather, they are purely academic credentials gained thorough academic pursuits.

After I got my MBA , I decided to get a few professional certifications in management to competitively differentiate myself from other MBAs as part of managing my career. So I earned the C.A.M., CM, and CRM all through examination. Later I earned the Advanced Certificate in Management (which, again, is not a certification) and finally a DBA degree.

One moment of truth is the job interview. While I have had interviewers in the past compliment me on my academic achievements, never once has there been any discussion at all around my professional designations. What I conclude, not at all surprisingly, is that certifications or professional designations are not deemed to be of the same status as degrees which require far more effort to attain--nor should they be for that matter. Secondly, I conclude that these credentials, while well understood within their disciplines, are not well understood more widely in industry and business, which lessens their value somewhat.

I have also seen cases where people with BA or BS degrees pursue a certification in lieu of a master's degree, erroneously believing certification to be a substitute or equivalent for an MBA . Clearly, it is not even close.